SKY. SOIL AND AGRICULTURE. 285 



With the exception of Bracadale, some parts of Trot- 

 ternish and of Sleat, and a few smaller portions at Broad- 

 ford, Snizort, Portree, and other places which I need not 

 enumerate, there is no land in cultivation ; the greater 

 part of the island being occupied by a system of pas- 

 turage almost limited to the production of black cattle. 

 T need offer no remarks on its agriculture after those 

 which have been already made in describing the other 

 islands : I may only notice generally, that a certain 

 tendency to improvement has been manifested within a 

 few years ; the ancient possessions in joint tenure having 

 nearly disappeared in the ameliorated system of separate 

 farms ; while the division of the land into larger lots, 

 and the accumulation of capital still required to produce 

 permanent and extensive improvement, remain for future 

 exertions and more favourable circumstances. 



Although the greater part of the pasture of the island 

 consists of moor land covered with heath and grasses of 

 little value, many tracts of green herbage are to be seen, 

 of which those about Loch Eynort and Trotternish are 

 the most conspicuous. It is often difficult to determine 

 the causes of these differences in the natural produce 

 of a given soil, where many are necessarily engaged in 

 producing the effect. As far as its composition alone 

 is concerned, the pursuits of the geologist are in some 

 measure calculated to throw light on the subject. Yet 

 even where an apparent identity exists in those rocks 

 from the decomposition of which any soil is formed, there 

 are often differences in the results that seem to elude all 

 explanation. Sky presents some remarkable instances of 

 this nature which it will not be irrelevant to point out in 

 a cursory manner. 



It is already well known that many of the rocks of 

 the trap family, like some lavas, afford on decomposition 

 one of the most fertile soils with which we are acquainted. 

 I have mentioned this fact on other occasions, and noticed 

 at the same time the great differences which appeared 



